Did you?
by The Third Marauder
Summary: James has a late night with Lily, and Sirius wants to know what happened. Hilarity ensues. It does get a little more serious at the end. A short two-shot that just popped into my head one night. Enjoy! MWPP era. Chapter Two up! COMPLETE!
1. Did you?

**Disclaimer: I wish I could lay claim on the pieces of eye candy that are the Marauders, but unfortunately I can't. J. K. Rowling has all the luck. Plot idea comes from the episode "Third Wheel" of How I Met Your Mother. **

"So," Sirius started the moment James joined the Marauders in the Great Hall, a suggestive smirk crossing his handsome face, "You slept late this morning."

"Yeah." James settled in, reaching for the jug of juice. "I did, didn't I?"

"Up late with Ms. Evans, were you?" He continued, waggling his eyebrows as he glanced crudely between James and the red head girl at the far side of the table.

"It's a definite possibility," The Gryffindor quidditch captain answered, biting back a smile. Sirius waited, expectantly, before realizing James wasn't going to say anything more.

"That's it?" Sirius was incredulous. "Yesterday evening you were a nervous wreck! You spend a bloody hour debating whether or not you were going to ask her out! Not to mention the hours you spent practicing how you were going to do it!"

"Hmph," James agreed, his mouth full of his breakfast. Sirius snatched the bagel out of his mate's hand, before James could take a second bite.

"What happened?" He demanded. "Did you do it?"

James shrugged. "Doesn't seem right to talk about it."

"What?! No! Tell me!" Sirius looked to Remus and Peter for help, but the two seemed content to sit there and watch the exchange. "Or, don't tell me. Because you didn't do it! You didn't do it."

A small smile crept across James' face and he shrugged again. Sirius' confidence wavered, "You did it! You did it, didn't you? Did you?" His gray eyes found the other two Marauders again, both of whom were being infuriatingly silent. "You didn't do it!" The smile on James' face got a little wider. "You did it! You did! No you… jj—jj—just tell me!"

James twirled his goblet, watching the liquid spiral before settling down again. "Some stories you tell, some stories you don't…"

"Because you didn't do it," Sirius grinned boldly, looking back to Remus and Peter. "He didn't do it."

His gaze found James again, whose hazel eyes were twinkling under their frames. Sirius lowered his voice, "He did it. You did it. You did it, didn't you? Tell me! Did you? Prongs, the last pack of butterbeer!" Sirius offered, waving off Peter's loud protest.

James ignored him, seemingly satisfied with eating his breakfast in the slowest manner possible.

"Ten galleons." When that had no affect, Sirius persisted without a pause, "one hundred galleons. One thousand galleons."

"You really think he's going to go for money, Padfoot?" Remus interrupted. "He's the heir to one of the wealthiest pureblood families in England."

"The first ride on my motorbike." James raised an eyebrow, so Sirius added quickly, "once I actually buy it, obviously."

"Did you? Or didn't you?" He raised both of his hands, as if they were a scale, "Did? Didn't? Tell me! Please…!" Helplessly, he turned to Remus. "You know if he did it or didn't do it? Moony! Just tell me!"

Sirius reached across the table, grabbing a fistful of James robes, and lifting him up till their noses were inches apart. "Prongs, look at me! Did you do it? Prongs!"

The messy haired head boy was laughing at Sirius' wild expression. "Put me down," James ordered, his voice coming through the laughs firmly.

"What happened?" Sirius sounded strained. "Come on, I'm your best mate!"

"Merlin, you sound absolutely pathetic!" James slipped out of his seat, shouldering his bag. "I'd better go. I promised McGonagall I'd give her the detention slips today."

"No! This is—Prongs, this is bloody unfair—after all the help—"

James tilted his head, considering something for a moment, before calling arrogantly down the hall. "Oy, Evans! Do you have any plans for Hogsmead tomorrow? I could always set something up with the Giant Squid, if you'd like."

Instantly, the entire hall quieted and everyone's eyes focussed in on the head boy and girl. James hadn't asked Lily Evans out all year, but their screaming matches from years past were infamous at the school

To the surprise of most, she appeared to think it over. Then, she answered, just as loudly, with a smile, "I hear the Squid's busy tomorrow."

"So, 8:30 in the Entrance Hall?"

"Sounds like a date!"

James gave a two-finger salute, saucily winking at his friends, before sauntering out. The Great Hall burst into noise, the moment James' back had disappeared. No one, however, was more surprised than said boy's best mate, who was sitting there with his mouth wide open.

"I can't believe—he actually—the bastard actually asked Lily Evans out on a date." He stuttered, unable to wrap his head around the morning's events. "Oh, Merlin."

"You're catching flies, Padfoot," Remus said, pushing Sirius' lower jaw up, where it closed with a snap.

"James _Potter _and Lily _Evans_ are going out on a… _date_? Willingly? With each other." Panicked, he asked in a rush, "Have I died? Is this a dream? Tell me it's a dream!"

"Nope." Remus said, his lips popping on the 'p'. He enunciated the next sentence, explaining clearly, "Tomorrow morning, James Potter is taking Lily Evans to Hogsmead."

Sirius' posture slumped, a shadow passing across the gray-eyed pureblood's face. "Oh, Merlin," he groaned.

Then, as if he finally realized what happened, his eyes widened. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no. No." He continued shaking his head, repeating the two lettered word. "No. Impossible. Not possible. No. I won't let— this can't—she's going to—and then he'll—oh, no. No, no, no. It won't—can't—I won't let it. Never."

And with that last incomplete, thought, Sirius pushed his plate back so hard it hit the dish of potatoes with a soft clank. He didn't care; he jumped out of his seat, and left the Hall in a swift stride.

"What's up with him?" Peter asked, curious.

"I'm not sure." Remus' amber eyes narrowed, as he tracked the black haired boy's path. "I just hope he doesn't do something he's going to regret later."


	2. The Lake

**Disclaimer: Characters belong to JK Rowling. Plot idea is mine, though.**

…

…

…

…

**Part II**

**The Lake**

Sirius sullenly threw another stone at the lake. It didn't even break through the ice. The scowl on his normally handsome face deepened. He fell back into the snow, looking up at the cloudless sky. He slowly exhaled and watched his breath float upward before disappearing into the cold air.

He shivered slightly, pulling his robe together with a tug and wishing he'd thought to grab his winter cloak when he'd run out of the Great Hall. Though, to be fair, he certainly hadn't planned on coming to the lake when he'd decided to foolishly go after James. Actually, he hadn't given the action any planning, which is why he'd found himself out here.

_Thinking complicates everything_, the young pureblood decided, sitting back up. He pulled his legs up toward him, and slinging his arms around them. If he'd just not stopped to ponder what he'd say to James, he wouldn't be sitting out here morosely watching the frozen lake. But he had stopped to think and, though he cursed the action now, there was nothing he could do to change it.

"Why is it this difficult?" The black haired seventh year cried in frustration. Then, he paused, and burst into laughter. He must look ridiculous. He was sitting outside in the middle of winter, wearing nothing more than his school robes, and talking to himself. _If James could see me now…_ he mused with a grin, which faded instantly after the thought.

_James_.

He was the entire problem, wasn't he? Infuriating prat... He'd somehow wormed himself into Sirius' heart during their first year and now there was no way to dislodge him. Not that he had any intention of doing so, but the prat was making his life rather difficult. Although, was it really fair to blame the prat for his unceasing infatuation with that red headed… a number of names flashed through Sirius' mind, none of which he would even consider applying, because James would have his head if he did.

_Yes_, Sirius determined grimly,_ it was _definitely_ fair to blame the prat_.

After all, if James hadn't gone and convinced himselfhe was in love with _her_—really, there was no way he was _actually_ in love… the bloke wasn't even out of school yet—then Sirius would never have to confide in said prat that he loathed the lass. Or, debate whether or not he should tell his best mate that he wasn't fond of said mate's paramour, like he was doing now (at the end of this, Sirius was convinced he'd have to check himself into St. Mungo's Psychiatric Ward. Having conversations with yourself _couldn't _be normal… not at the frequency Sirius had them). At any rate, dilemma solved. He could go back inside, warm up, and act like everything was normal.

Of course, he could still go and _act_ like everything was normal. But then he would be _acting_ while in the previous scenario, he wouldn't have to _act_ because everything would really _be _normal. He released another slow exhale. Maybe it would be a good idea to visit St. Mungo's sooner rather than later.

Considering all the madness Sirius had been forced through by the Gryffindor quidditch Captain, seven years to go absolutely loony wasn't too bad. He'd have to applaud Remus for holding out this long the next time he saw the prefect. It was no mean feat maintaining your sanity when subjected to James Potter, unofficial leader of the Marauders and keeper of the most mischievous and devious mind Sirius had ever known. The number of schemes that ran through that lad's head in a day—

_Stop!_ He ordered himself. _Focus. Evans. James. _

_Right, sorry_. He apologized quickly, turning his mind back to a more important matter. Wait… that sounded suspiciously like… What was Remus doing in his head? The appointment with the healers probably shouldn't be delayed more than a week.

_Focus!_ The voice growled again.

Sirius obeyed, organizing everything.

_Problem: Lack of fondness for James' romantic interest_

_Course of Action: Tell the prat_

_Results: He will break it off. _

Sirius harbored no delusions about his relationship with his best mate. The two were impossibly close and neither would pursue any action that met the disapproval of the other (Sirius momentarily discounted the Snape Prank of fifth year). James would never commit to a relationship with Evans if he knew that Sirius didn't like her. But the idiotic prat was so deeply in love with the green eyed siren that James would be heart broken for the rest of his life. He would try and hide it, of course. Just as he had earlier this school year, when he had temporarily persuaded himself that he was over Evans and tried to go on smiling and joking. But Sirius knew his closest mate too well to not see when the bloke was faking or to miss that the twinkle that had made James _James_ had disappeared.

_Second Course of Action_: Don't_ tell the prat_

_Results: Stand by helplessly and watch her eventually call it off. _

There was nothing more Sirius hated than feeling useless, especially when said uselessness resulted in harm to a mate. It was the reason they had become animagi. None of them had been able to watch Remus scratch himself half to death without at least trying to help. For that same reason, Sirius wouldn't be able to just wait for Evans to break his best mate's heart once she'd finished with him. And—

The snapping of a twig snapped him out of his ruminations. He twisted around, his hand already clenched around his half drawn wand, a counter curse on his lips. A glint of red flashed across his visions, and he turned back, disappointed. The one person he'd take Slytherins over… Maybe if he ignored her, she'd leave?

His hopes were dashed when she decided to plop down onto the snow next to him, greeting, "Black."

Sirius sighed, and responded coldly, "Evans." He didn't look at her. Besides his salutation, he made no other acknowledgement of her presence.

"You skipped the morning classes."

Sirius ignored her obvious statement, staring resolutely over the lake.

"And lunch."

"Have you come to give me a detention, Evans?" Sirius challenged, sounding a little exasperated.

Her brow furrowed, "No."

"Then what are you doing here?"

"James left to find some piece parchment that would lead him to you. He was worried…"

So James was looking for the Marauder's Map? Sirius hid a victorious grin, sticking his hand in his pocket to feel the crinkled piece of parchment that resided there. But, if James was searching for him, it wouldn't be long before he decided to come outside.

Evans had continued with her speech, "… at any rate, I wanted a word with you without James' presence, so I came out."

"Just wanted some fresh air. James should know not to worry. I skive classes frequently. It's nothing unusual," The pureblood said nonchalantly, hiding his anxiousness. Sirius was too much of a mental mess to successfully veil anything from his mate at the moment. Then his mind processed Evans' last sentence, "You wanted to talk?"

"Yes."

"About?" Evans was silent. Sirius was in no mood to wait, so he snapped, "What the hell do you want, Evans?"

The words slipped out, "I want you to like me." Sirius blinked, unconsciously moving away from the girl. It wasn't that Evans wasn't pretty—it was easy to see why she was popular among most of the boys at school—but she was James' and hence off limits, even to fantasize about.

"Not like that!" She said quickly, seeing his expression. "Merlin, stop looking at me that way, you're scaring me."

"I don't know how else you expected me to take that, Evans."

"I'm going out with James!"

"And?" Sirius said shortly. Evans stopped cold to Sirius' internal pleasure. _So she was capable of receiving heavy hints… _

"You really think that poorly of me?"

"I _don't _like you, Evans. I reckon I've made that clear. Besides, when have you ever given me reason to suspect that you cared for James?"

"I've been his friend all year!"

"And look what you did with that friendship. I don't imagine I have to remind you about December." Sirius said frigidly.

Her voice was a murmur, "He forgave me for that. Ages ago. I've apologized more oft—"

"An apology's not always enough," Sirius interrupted, his gray eyes becoming distant. "It doesn't fix everything."

"It did with James—"

"Yeah, well, James has a problem remaining angry at friends." He overrode her again, adding, "Trust me, I'd know. He forgave me, even after I'd betrayed all promises I'd made to him. He even saved me from expulsion, though Merlin knows I didn't deserve it."

"So, as long as you're not the beneficiary, he's supposed to hold a grudge?" She snarled, Sirius' words getting under her skin.

"I apologized to everyone involved in my incident. _Everyone _who was injured by my actions."

"And I haven't?"

"_I_ haven't heard an apology yet." Sirius said calmly, picking his fingernails.

"You had nothing to do with—"

"No?" Sirius sat up straight, his voice rising furiously. "Who do you think had to comfort James, huh? Painfully watch him suffer without being able to do a bloody thing. It took weeks for James to go back to normal, Evans. Only to have _you_ come back into his life just after I'd finally succeeded in bringing _him_ back." He controlled his temper long enough for his tone to return to its regular volume. "I daresay you owe me far more than simple regret."

"I'm sorry, all right."

"Not good enough."

"What more can I do?" She cried, frustrated.

"Stay away from him."

"And that wouldn't hurt him? Don't you think he'd find it a little suspicious if I suddenly stopped talking to him? Besides, even if I had any desire of ending my friendship, I couldn't. _He_ wouldn't."

"Make him."

"Are we still talking about the same stubborn prat?" She asked, a fond expression crossing her face at the mention of James.

"Listen, Evans, I'm not going to sit back and watch you destroy him. Once was enough for a life time."

She didn't reply. Her green eyes were staring at something over the lake as she sat pondering his words. Finally, her voice inexpressibly soft, she said:

"Go on. Go tell him, then. Tell him that you don't approve. That you utterly loath me… You know James. You _know_ that he'll listen to you. One word from you and you'll never have to bother with me again."

Sirius involuntarily started. It was impossible not to acknowledge Evan's intelligence, but Sirius hadn't counted on her superb perception to come through. Unintentionally, and rather unfortunately, she had gone straight for the crux of Sirius' problem.

"It took me a while to understand it. I'd never really realized how strong your bond with James was. Not even after what happened in December. Marlene had explained it, but…" she scratched the back of her neck, her face flushed. "I didn't believe her. I thought she might have been exaggerating, you know? It wasn't until today…"

She stopped, her tone changing to one a tad more brisk and informative. "I followed you out of the Great Hall this morning. About a minute after you'd left. That's how I knew you were out here. I saw you turn back…

"Did you know that he had expected you to go after him? He thought I was you when I rounded the corner. That's when I realized… You know how he always has this light in his eyes… the moment he sees me, they brighten? This is the first time I've ever seen them do the opposite. He wanted it to be you. So much so that even I was a disappointment…"

"Awfully modest, aren't you, Evans." Sirius said dryly. But he had been reeled in to the tale and the head girl had his complete attention.

She shrugged. "I'm not blind. Not anymore… Once you start watching someone—I mean, _really_ watching—you start to see those things. And you begin to recognize that you're doing the same. Besides, James has always been completely open with his feelings regarding me."

"Right." Sirius growled, throwing another rock at the lake.

She watched the stone break through the ice before saying bluntly, "Why haven't you told him how much you loath me?"

"I don't loath you," Sirius corrected immediately.

"Then?"

"Then?"

"Why do you disapprove of me? Of our relationship?" Her green eyes were so captivating that Sirius had to blink.

"It's not so much you as…" He considered. "I just don't want to see you hurt him again. Last time was—" his voice broke. "—it was unbearable. I couldn't go through that again."

She sighed. "I know. And I'm really sorry. I hadn't realized how terribly I'd acted… the extent of damage I'd done…"

"So you can understand—"

"Yes. And I can't promise it won't happen again. I don't know how long this will last… if I'll develop deeper feelings or not… But I can promise that I'll try my bloody hardest to make this work. I really fancy him, you know? I'd never thought it would be possible, but I do. There's so much more to James than I'd ever thought. He's intelligent, noble, _loyal_—" The faraway look on her face disappeared as she snapped back to the present. "Not that it matters, right? You don't approve, so it'll never happen."

"James makes his own decisions," Sirius argued faithfully.

"You're not thick, Black, so don't act it. You know very well that James would never do something you don't support. He wouldn't make a major decision without consulting you first. So, you see, I don't have a chance without your consent. You're a part of him, in a way I can never be. He couldn't live without you."

Sirius pushed himself up, getting to his feet. Lingering, he said softly. "I underestimated you, Evans. You understand a lot more then you let on. So you must know that I could never do something that would even slightly upset James. I may not like you, Evans, but that doesn't mean I can't. If you can prove to me your worthy of him, that is.

"A moment ago you told me that James couldn't live without me. It's true. The thing is," he paused hesitantly, before plunging on, "The thing is, you can't live without your heart either. And, unfortunately, you have his. Take care of it, yeah?"

Her face wore a soft smile as she nodded graciously. "As well as I'm capable of, Black."

Sirius reached out a hand, invitingly. Evans—Lily, Sirius corrected—grabbed it, and Sirius pulled her up, before walking off. He was ten steps away before he called back:

"C'mon. If _you_ go missing, James'll organize a search party. And I have no desire to go looking for _you_ all afternoon."

Lily shook her head, snorting, before jogging to catch up. The two found James, striding quickly down the steps to the Entrance Hall. The quidditch star tripped on the last step once he'd caught a glimpse of his best mate and girlfriend standing at the corner of the stairs and had to be steadied by the aristocratic pureblood.

"Clumsy oaf... Up for some lunch? I'm starving!" Sirius exclaimed genially, meeting James searching examination with absolute sincerity. James hazel eyes brightened slowly and he squeezed Sirius' arm gently, his lips curving upward.

"Missed you in class today, Padfoot."

Sirius just grinned and gave a small shrug.

James grabbed Lily's hand, throwing his other around Sirius shoulders, and dragged them both back towards the Great Hall.

_**~Finite~**_

**Authors Note:**

**Although I had planned a sequel for "Did You?" I'd never expected to be writing it this quickly. Seeing as how the previous installment ended at a cliffhanger, though, I decided to quickly finish this. Anyway, I owe a large thank you to those of you who reviewed "Did you?" It was for you that this was written. **

**I would also like to apologize to you. Because this was written so quickly, I'm not exactly sure how much I like it. The general plot is decent, but I'm not sure how well I was able to portray the message I wanted to in the manner it deserved. Consider this as more of a rough draft. I'll probably end up rewriting it (the plot and ideas will stay the same though) on a cold, rainy day. **

**So, the important stuff…**

**Story Details:**

**As you know (or are just finding out), this is actually part of my Amicitia universe. I'll probably be adding this to that story once I get to the right time period. **

**But, anyway, I repeatedly mentioned that Lily had broken James' heart at some earlier time in this story. That is part of another scene in my Amicitia universe that I've planned out, but not written. I just thought I'd clear it up for you… **

**Thanks for reading,**

**The Third Marauder**

**Ps--Like usual, if you have any questions, comments, concerns, grammatical corrections, other corrections, or any sort of message for me, please review. **


End file.
